


In The Eye Of The Storm

by MisterTiberius



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dark Doctor, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, BAMF Rose Tyler, Blood and Injury, Dark Doctor (Doctor Who), F/M, Injured Rose, Love at First Sight, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Rose, Possessive Doctor (Doctor Who), Protective Doctor (Doctor Who), Romance, Slow Burn, Torchwood - Freeform, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 18:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21286406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterTiberius/pseuds/MisterTiberius
Summary: Rose Tyler is absolutely thrilled when UNIT finally takes her off desk duty and gives her an assignment, an important one at that. She'd transferred to a facility called Torchwood where she's to interact with one of the most dangerous aliens to ever step foot on Earth.The lonely godThe destroyer of worldsThe oncoming stormThe Doctor
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler, The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Comments: 42
Kudos: 134





	1. Chapter 1

"You must be Miss Tyler." Rose jolted in fright before sheepishly twisting around in her chair, repressing the urge to cringe as she faced the source of the voice. The man who'd spoken smiled, half amused and half apologetic. His blue eyes were bright, dark hair slicked back. He was dressed more casually then she'd expected of a government facility, fitted into a pair of black dress slacks with a burgundy button-up and a soft black trench-coat. She blinked, puzzled to find he was wearing both suspenders _and _a belt.

"Jack Harkness, it's a pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand, prompting Rose to scramble out of her seat to take the offered appendage. To her pleasant surprise, he lifted her hand to plant a kiss on her knuckles. Stifling a laugh when he gave her a cheeky wink, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head when he laced their fingers together to tug her along behind him.

"Were you briefed?" Rose shook her head, gazing down at their clasped hands with wide brown pools. The man grumbled something about useless higher-ups as he lead her to a metal door. He dug in his pocket to produce a blue-bordered key-card to swipe, the thick obstruction hissing compressed air as it slid open to allow them passage.

"Right, not a problem. You'll be a handler for one of the facilities prisoners, you know what that entails, yes?" Rose recalled a vague conversation with her superior about it, she was told she'd be looking after someone. She nodded and Jack's easy smile was back, tugging her to the right at the first split they came across.

"Okay so the person you'll be handling is the Doctor, heard of him?" Rose's lips thinned and she hesitantly shook her head, expecting an earful. Instead, Jack looked quite thrilled and relieved by the news. They took a left at the next fork and Rose was just able to make out a singe door at the end of the hallway, this one appeared to be made of metal too.

"Good, that means you won't be biased." Rose was both curious and wary to hear such a response, but what else was she expecting? This was a _containment_ facility,_ everything _locked up in here was dangerous. Jack squeezed her hand encouragingly, as if to wordlessly assure her that he'd have her back if anything were to go wrong.

"We found him in a Dalek ship, we'd caught a distress call and went to investigate. He was in the infirmary, my team and I thought he was dead at first. But when Micky went to check, poor boy found himself mercilessly choked out. It took awhile to calm the Doctor down, and it was Donna who managed to get through to him. We took him back to our ship so Martha could have a look at him. Since then, we've noticed he feels more comfortable around females." Rose frowned as all given information soaked in.

"What about the Daleks? What was he doing there? What species is he?" They stopped in front of the locked door, Jack swiping his card again. This time, it took a bit longer for the door to open. The latches sliding out of place with loud clanks that had the hair on the back of her neck rising with apprehension. Almost as if he could sense her inner plight, he responded to Rose's questions to distract her.

"He was the only one left, the Daleks were...already taken care of. He says he was their prisoner, which is entirely possible based on his cataloged injuries. He's informed us that he's a Time Lord from Gallifrey, which was destroyed in something he calls the 'time war.' The Doctor is a mystery otherwise, but the government have been able to dig up reports of the Doctor dating back _thousands_ of years." He stepped in as soon as the door had raised, guiding her inside. Rose groaned at the sight of yet _another_ bloody door, this one just as massive. The one behind them dropping shut with more speed then it had opened with, Rose mentally cursed gravity.

"Doctor _who?" _Jack snorted sarcastically, Rose raising a brow at him. He swiped his card for a third, and hopefully final, time. She gently worried her bottom lip between her teeth, anxiety twisting her stomach into knots. She wasn't sure what to prepare herself for, she hadn't gotten a file or even a picture. What use were her superiors if they didn't even supply her with what she needed to complete the assignment?

"Sorry sweetheart, but that information is above your pay-grade. It's above mine too." Jack side-eyed her as the second barrier raised, latches clicking deafeningly loud. Or was that just her own mind doing that? She shook her head as if to banish the thoughts threatening to drown her, straightening her posture to appear more confident then she felt. Her head abruptly whipped around when the meaning behind his words hit her like a pile of bricks, jaw dropping open in utter disbelief.

"His _name?"_ She squawked, incredulous. Jack nodded, shrugging. She turned her befuddled stare to the door, eyes sweeping over the _'wait until the door is fully open to cross'_ sign printed onto the sterile white tile floors. This meant she only knew three _concrete_ things about him. One: he was part of a race called the Time Lords from the planet Gallifrey. Two: he was dangerous. And three: that no one seemed to know what his actual name was. The severe lack of information left her with more questions then answers, which didn't sit well with her.

"Afraid so. But if you ask me, those posh assholes don't know it either. Just trying to keep up the illusion that they're all-powerful." Even though she'd only worked for the government for a little over a year, his claim didn't sound too far-fetched. He released her hand before strutting over the threshold, gesturing for her to follow him into the room that had been revealed. There were no windows, which she'd anticipated, and the only door seemed to be the one she'd just walked through. In the middle of the room was a clear box, a single person inside.

Fear bubbled up in her throat when she noticed the shards of glass that were haphazardly scattered everywhere within the box, how there could've possibly been _any_ breakable objects in his cell was lost to her. The Doctor's chest was heaving as if he'd just run a marathon, a dark and defiant glower drilling into the nearest of three armed guards strategically positioned around the room. Rose glanced at Jack, dismayed to find he looked neither shocked nor surprised by the sight they were welcomed with.

"I was gone fifteen minutes Doc, _fifteen."_ He stressed the amount of time he'd been away, voice dangerously close to a whine. The Doctor's burning gaze flickered over to Jack, and Rose was amazed when the hostile aura that'd been rolling off him in waves fizzled out. Even from where she lingered near the doorway, she could see harsh pale lines peppering his exposed arms. Her stomach churned, they were _scars_.

"Donna and Micky will be back from lunch soon. Then these guys will be out of your, frankly, amazing head of hair." Rose rolled her eyes, she was starting to get a feel for what type of person Jack was. So far, she quite liked him. Jack's smug grin widened at her amused snort, his hands clamping onto her shoulders in order to steer her in front of him like some sort of offering.

"Doctor, let me introduce you to your new handler." Jack nodded to one of the guards, shooting Rose a reassuring smile as the guard barked out orders. The man's tone was loud and brash, demanding the Doctor to move to the opposite wall where two blue circles were located. The Time Lord waited until Jack gave him a sharp nod before spinning on his heel to do as he was told, flattening a hand onto each circle. Rose resisted the sudden and compelling urge to flee as Jack guided her over to one of the clear walls, frowning when the guard nearest to them lifted their firearm to take aim at the Doctor's turned back.

"Alright Doc, you know the drill." Rose paid close attention to how Jack went about opening the cell for future reference, she'd need to do this herself soon. He placed his hand on a scanner that was built into the glass, punching a code into the keypad next to the scanner with his other hand. The Doctor didn't so much as twitch when a section of the glass shifted aside, Rose hesitating until Jack nudged her forward with an anchoring hand on her back. The Doctor remained unnaturally still as they entered, getting an opportunity to get a better look at him now that she was closer. Her eyes were drawn to the scars, the cruel jagged marks were on every inch of exposed skin. There was a particularly brutal one on the back of his neck, it started at the nape and continued on a downward path until it disappeared underneath the collar of his shirt.

He appeared to be lean, almost scrawny. She found it hard to tell due to how loose-fitting his clothes were, the facility had provided the Time Lord with deep blue scrubs and white, velcro shoes. Anyone else would've looked a bit odd in the getup, but the Doctor somehow pulled it off. Her uncertainty about the whole situation returned with a vengeance when she realized he still had yet to turn around, perhaps he was ignoring them?

"Is he not going to say hi?" She kept her voice even, determined not to let her nerves show. If she hadn't already been staring at the Doctor, she would've missed the almost unnoticeable tilt of his head. She glanced at Jack, he seemed to have caught the slight movement as well. She raised a quizzical brow when Jack's shining blue eyes excitedly jumped between Rose and the Doctor as if he'd just won the lottery.

"He's not authorized to move when the door is open." If Rose wasn't mistaken, Jack seemed to be subtly hinting at something. She wasn't sure what it was, but there were more pressing things she should be worried about. Like the fact she couldn't even properly greet the Doctor, it was inconsiderate and rude to claim to be his helper and then act like he was some sort of animal. He may be dangerous, but he deserved to be treated with respect just like everyone else.

"Then close it." The Time Lord's shoulders jumped as if he were startled by her response to such a statement, head twisting just a bit more as if he were trying to get a glimpse of her without outright moving. Rose looked to Jack for some sort of approval, knowing she'd made the right decision when Jack positively lit up, forcing her to stamp down the ridiculous urge to shield her eyes from his beaming smile. One of the guards started to protest, but Jack was quick to butt in.

"You heard the lady, seal it." He waved a dismissive hand at the spluttering guard, who shot her a pitying glare before nodding to one of the remaining two guards. The second one sneered at them, but aggressively punched in the code. The glass slid back into place with a resounding clank, leaving Rose and Jack locked in with the silent Doctor. She took a deep, steadying breath when Jack brushed his shoulder against hers. She sent him a grateful smile before letting her gaze settle onto the unmoving Time Lord.

"Rose Tyler, meet the Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

She held her breath as the Doctor's hands dropped away from the blue circles, the Time Lord cautiously turning to face them. Her eyes immediately went to his wild mess of hair, the thick mane spiked up every-which-way. Rose's fingers twitched, itching to bury themselves into those seemingly soft locks. Her eyes flicked down to his face, locking onto his warm brown eyes, his dark brows lowered as he watched her carefully. Rose turned her bewildered gaze to Jack, the cheeky twat waggling his eyebrows knowingly. She schooled her expression into something more appropriate for the situation, narrowing her eyes at Jack's smug face before turning her attention back to the Doctor.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. As Jack told you, I'm going to be looking after you, so I hope we can get along." She offered her hand and the quiet suddenly turned suffocating, a chill crawling down her spine at the abrupt and all-consuming silence. It didn't even look like Jack was _breathing_, watching the exchange with rapt attention. The Doctor still hadn't moved to take the extended appendage, staring at her with a blank expression despite the thunderstorm of emotions that swirled in his eyes. Thoroughly convinced that she'd crossed a line, she averted her gaze and her arm started to awkwardly drop. One of the guard started to shout a warning, Rose squeaking when two hands wrapped around her retreating one, pulling it back up to its prior position.

"Likewise, Rose Tyler." His skin was warm and rough, and it took her a moment to realize why. There was more scarring scattered all over his hands, trailing up his wrists and over the expanse of his arms until his shirt concealed the rest of the damage. His fingers looked to have been heavily abused, like they'd been cruelly broken over and over again. Fortunately, all ten digits were still in their proper place. She braved a glance at his face, a tongue-touched grin effortlessly breaking out onto her face at the utter sincerity she found in his eyes. His answering smile was nothing less then blinding, Rose's free hand reaching out to gently touch his forearm.

"He's just greeting her, you lot are too trigger happy." Rose's delighted grin fell at Jack's teasing words, peering behind herself to see all three guards looming near the door. Two had their guns out and the third hovered near the keypad, ready to open the cell and subdue the Doctor. She swallowed thickly, warily staring at the brandished firearms. Since the Time Lord was in front of her, both barrels were aimed right at her back. Her stomach rolled uneasily and she debated what to do. If she moved away, the Doctor would be in the line of fire. If she stayed, she risked getting herself killed. It wasn't a hard decision to make, his life was in her hands for the duration of her stay.

"He's fine, there's no need to get violent." Rose turned to face them with a disapproving scowl, arm twisting awkwardly behind her. She shifted her body a bit in order to find a more comfortable position, making sure he didn't feel obligated to let go. His grip only tightened as he eyed the guards from over her shoulder, gaze sharp and distrustful. Rose's lips twitched in an attempt to smile despite herself, his behavior towards her so far was very promising. She was confident that they'd be able to coexist without any problems, the Doctor appeared to have approved of Rose.

"See? He just got excited because it's been too long since someone new treated him like a _human being_." Jack's jab was clearly directed at the three scowling soldiers. The tense silence was broken when the door loudly lifted open, a ginger woman ducked under the clunking metal obstruction as soon as the door had opened high enough for her to gracefully slip in. The timid dark-skinned man who'd been standing next to her waited for the door to fully rise before entering. Both were clad in black military uniforms, identical to the ones the guards looming outside the cell wore. The ginger woman perked up at the sight of Rose, lips splitting into an ecstatic grin. She proceeded to unceremoniously shoulder past the disgruntled trio of guards in order to get to the scanner and keypad. 

"Oi, hands on the circles spaceman!" Rose blinked, flabbergasted. She hadn't expected such a positive reaction to her arrival, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. Her head whirled around when the Doctor reluctantly dropped her hand, watching as he dejectedly shuffled to the back wall. The moment his palms were firmly planted, the ginger slapped her hand onto the scanner and aggressively punched in the code. Rose stepped back when the door slid open and the ginger rushed at her, hands clamping onto her shoulders to give Rose a little shake.

"Oh it's so good to have another woman on the team! I can't tell you how suffocating the testosterone in this blasted building is! I'm Donna, Donna Noble. You must be Rose Tyler, we got your file yesterday." Rose nodded dumbly, a little lost for words. Her eyes flicked over Donna's shoulder when her dark-skinned coworker reluctantly stepped in. His dark eyes jumping from Rose to the Doctor a few times, clearly uncomfortable with being this close to the allegedly hostile Time Lord. Rose had a feeling that he only got violent in self defense, and she was certainly going to look into each incident report to confirm her thoughts.

"You must be Micky, Jack told me you and Donna are on the Doctor's team of personal staff." The ginger nodded with a wide grin, sharp eyes sliding to Micky, who anxiously lingered near the door. Donna scoffed, Marching over to him in three quick steps to snatch his wrist and drag him back to their little huddle. It seemed Micky knew better then to resist Donna's insistent tugging, but his apprehensive gaze continuously swept over the distance that separated himself and the Doctor. Wanting to ease his restlessness, Rose sidestepped to place herself between the two. Now if the Doctor suddenly had the overpowering urge to attack Micky, she'd be in his way.

"Now that we're all here, let's walk you through the Doctor's afternoon schedule." Jack and Donna shared an amused look, they'd obviously caught her subtle readjustment. Rose fought a blush, opting to wordlessly nod. Jack smiled, turning to the three grim guards to promptly dismiss them. Rose blinked, baffled as they begrudgingly took their leave. It was apparent that jack had a higher level of clearance then those guards, it made her wonder just how high up the chain of command he was.

"Alright, Donna usually handles this bit but I think the Doctor wouldn't mind if you stayed. Micky and I will be waiting outside." Rose shot Donna an alarmed glance, the ginger took one look at her face and leveled Jack with an unimpressed look. Jack wisely stepped out of punching distance, trowing an arm over Micky's shoulder to steer them both out the door. Jack closed it behind them, grinning at Rose's uncertain expression with a playful thumbs-up.

"I have to secure him so he can leave the cell, he has a track record of attacking people of the male gender who attempt to do so." Donna explained, narrowing her eyes at Jack's smug face. Suddenly, Micky lurched forward a step, the blood rapidly leaving his face. But Jack's response was the complete opposite, his cheshire grin only widening. Rose's brows creased in confusion until a hand gently touched her shoulder, she caught a glimpse of Donna's slack jaw as her head turned to face the Doctor. His hand dropped as soon as her questioning brown gaze settled on him, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head when he extended both wrists toward her with a thin smile.

"Oi, spaceman, what gives? You're usually all pouty about the restraints." The Doctor gave a vague shrug, gaze shyly sliding to the ruffled ginger. His smile became less tight and a little more genuine upon looking at her perplexed expression, Rose found it reassuring to see the Time Lord so comfortable around another person. Donna sighed and let the strange behavior go, grumbling about bipolar aliens as she opened a hatch in the floor with her handprint. Rose balked when the ginger proceeded to remove some heavy-duty cuffs, along with a thick leather harness that was probably meant to keep his hands pinned to his body. 

"Care to help me? It'll be faster if you do." Donna extended the cuffs toward Rose, who immediately shook her head to decline, stomach churning uneasily. The ginger's fiery eyes softened with understanding, Rose's gaze lingered on the cuffs. Donna respectfully turned to the Doctor, who obediently stepped closer. She proceeded to move even closer to carefully secure them onto the Doctor's wrists. He didn't even twitch when they clicked shut, barely batting an eye as Donna gently maneuvered his bound limbs into the harness, locking the cuffs to the strap over his stomach. The whole process took about five minutes to complete, the horrible knot in her gut coiling tighter at the emptiness in his eyes.

"Doctor." Rose's brows shot up to her hairline, that'd been the first time she'd heard Donna address the Time Lord by his chosen name. The ginger grabbed one of his hands and squeezed, prompting his distressingly dull gaze to lazily lift from his shoes. "It's only until we're outside, yeah? Then you and Rose can relax in the sunlight." That seemed to prompt a positive reaction from him, a spark of life returning to his brown pools. His eyes jumped over to where Rose stood, mood perking up some when she wordlessly nodded in agreement.

"Donna Noble, Override code 3733." Rose flinched when the first of three pulses of a low horn blared out of the speakers, informing the entire Torchwood facility that the Doctor was being released. She stamped down the urge to cover her ears, a sinister chill rattling down her spine as goosebumps broke out on her arms. "Open up Jack." The ginger tugged on the Doctor's arm when the door hissed open, stopping short when he stubbornly refused to budge. He was staring at Rose, brow wrinkled with worry. Donna's own concern spiked when she saw how rattled the girl was, Rose seemed to finally notice their stares because she blinked to snap herself out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine-" Rose cut herself off when the Doctor stalked past Donna in a blur of dark blue, the ginger jolting at the unanticipated movement. Rose would've been intimidated beyond belief if not for how troubled he appeared to be, his hands catching hers as soon as he was within grabbing distance. His skin was warm and anchoring, eyes soft and sympathetic. Despite the Doctor's tender expression, his body was coiled for a fight. Rose flushed when he leaned down, resting his forehead on her shoulder with a heavy breath. She heard Donna's stifled laughter and craned her neck to stick her tongue out at the amused ginger.

"We're burning daylight lover boy." Jack called, and Rose could tell he was wearing a shit-eating grin just by his playful tone. The Doctor mumbled something about how Jack was a hypocrite into her shoulder, Rose bursting into laughter at the childish retort. Jack looked wounded, the man seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to knowing if someone threw shade at him. The Time Lord shuffled back, his smile as bright as the sun. He was practically glued to her side when they met up with Donna and Jack by the cell door, matching his stride to hers to ensure he wouldn't fall behind. 

"Just follow Donna." Jack's eyes were bright with what looked suspiciously like wonder, watching Rose and the Doctor step out of the glass cube. Donna waited for them at the massive metal obstruction that shut them away from the rest of the facility, Rose stumbled when the Time Lord held fast to her hand and redirected her to where two familiar blue circles were printed on the tile floor. Each foot went into a circle, and the Doctor's lips quirked up into an apologetic smile as the door unlocked and started to lift open. Rose's answering grin made his whole _being_ light up with joy, she glance down at their intertwined fingers and wondered just_ what_ she'd gotten herself into.


	3. Chapter 3

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly...timey-wimey...stuff." The Doctor gesticulated as wildly as he could considering his hands were confined to his stomach, looking quite confused by his own summary. When Rose asked him about his species, she hadn't expected time travel to pop up. She shot a hopelessly lost glance at Donna, who only shrugged with an empathetic smile.

"Try not to scramble her brains Doc, why don't you tell her about that time you married Queen Elizabeth the 1st?" Jack raised a suggestive brow, taking the Doctor's sharp look in stride. Rose's lips spread into a tongue-touched grin, brows arched in amusement. The Time Lord flushed when he glanced at her face, spluttering about how it was a long time ago and that she shouldn't worry about it. Rose found his frantic rambling enduring, patting his shoulder to calm his frenzied explanation.

"So you have a ship that can time travel?" The Doctor took Rose's change of subject in stride, visibly brightening as the conversation moved back into safer territory. His shoulder occasionally bushed hers as they walked, Rose curiously glancing at the numerous species of aliens contained within the glass cells lining both walls. Most of them sneered and spit harsh words at them, but the strange thing was that they all appeared to speak English. 

"The TARDIS, stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. She's hooked up to Torchwood's system, translates languages for them and provides an extra layer of security. No one leaves their cell without me knowing about it. They let me patch her up since she was pretty damaged by the Daleks-" He cut himself off harshly, hands curling into tight fists. It was clear that he was recalling an unpleasant memory, his eyes flashing a strange golden color that was gone so fast Rose thought it was just a trick of the lights. She startled when Donna gently grabbed her hand, cautiously guiding her away from the distressed Time Lord. 

Rose shot the ginger a questioning look, unfortunately, Donna didn't offer a verbal response. But the way her eyes jumped from the statue-still Time Lord to her was telling in itself, she was worried. Clearly, this was an occurrence to be wary of. And judging by the distance they put between themselves and the Doctor, the result of the Time Lord's silence was nothing good. Donna's eyes widened when Rose jerked to a halt, both their eyes snapping down to the firm grip the Doctor had on her sleeve.

"Doctor?" Rose squeezed Donna's hand reassuringly before letting go, the ginger allowing her to do so without resistance. The Doctor immediately drew Rose back to his side, his fingers latching onto her hand like it was his lifeline. Rose glanced at Jack and Micky, who had backed out of kicking distance. She was dismayed to find that even Jack looked a bit unsettled by the exchange, but he hadn't gone for his taser like Micky had. She was thankful that no one seemed to be panicking yet, other then Micky of course. She'd concluded that he was overly distrustful of the Doctor the first time she laid eyes on him, so she focused on the other two to gauge the gravity of the situation.

"I won't hurt you, not ever." His wide chocolate brown eyes begged her to believe him, expression both hopeful and somber. As if he expected her to push him away and verbally tear him a new one, she bet he'd even let her hit him without any form of retaliation. The thought of ever laying a hand on him out of anger had her stomach doing some impressive acrobatics, something must've shown on her face because the Doctor's expression went from melancholy to alarmed in the blink on an eye. He straightened, features pinched in anguish. Rose squeezed his hand, keeping him from moving away. 

"I extend the same courtesy to you, Doctor." She blurted and everything froze for a heartbeat, Rose squeaking when the Time Lord yanked her into a fierce hug. His fingers curled into her belt loops to hold her against him, his forehead gently touching hers. Each exhale was shaky, Rose gently running a hand up and down his shuddering back. She had been so immersed in calming the Doctor that she hadn't even noticed reinforcements had arrived until a voice cut in to their tranquil bubble.

"Everything alright ma'am?" The Doctor's shoulders stiffened, posture coiling like a snake preparing to strike. Rose shifted a bit, peeking over the Time Lord's shoulder to the eight soldiers that'd snuck up on them. Her lips lifted into a nervous smile, gaze sweeping over their heavy artillery. She slowly dropped her hands away from the Doctor's tense back, resting them on his fingers. He took the silent request and reluctantly released her belt loops, Rose stepping around the Time Lord to stand between him and the soldiers.

"He's okay now." Rose assured, hands held up in a placating gesture. The apparent leader looked doubtful, nodding to one of his men. The soldier's eyes flicked from Rose to the Time Lord as he cautiously approached the duo, . Rose eyed the soldier, releasing a breath when the Doctor's knuckles pressed against her back with a comforting pressure. She could tell we was glowering at them just by how tense the soldiers had gotten, the silence in the room almost suffocating.

"With all due respect ma'am, we've had experience dealing with him when he gets like this. I'm going to need you to step away so we can do our job." Rose's mouth twisted into a frown, glancing behind her. Jack and Donna looked less pleased about the leader's choice of wording then her, a scowl creasing Jack's brow while Donna looked downright murderous. Micky had backed away from his two coworkers, as if he expected a fight to break out.

"He's calm now, you have no right to antagonize him when he's done nothing wrong." Something sinister flashed in the leader's eyes and Rose clenched her fists to fight the urge to flinch, holding his dark gaze with a disapproving glare. The soldier paused, just out of grabbing distance, looking between Rose and his boss with uncertainty. She merely held her ground, waiting to see what the leader would do.

"You haven't seen what he capable of, what he's done. Now step away from him, this is your last warning." The ruffled man growled, Rose merely crossed her arms and defiantly shook her head at the demand. "Or what?" She countered, placing her hands on her hips with a sarcastic raise of her brow. The man took a threatening step forward, stopping dead in his tracks when an inhuman snarl reverberated through the hall. The sound was unsettling, the soldier nearest to them retreating a step.

"Don't you dare." The tone had Rose's eyebrows shooting up to her hairline, the Doctor's icy warning giving the leader pause. "She's under my protection, you know what happens when you hurt someone I like." Rose shivered as an ominous chill crawled down her spine, the air around them seemed to drop in temperature. She didn't dare turn to look at him, wary of what she would find if she did. Almost as if the Time Lord sensed her prickle of fear, his growl that vibrated in his chest plummeted into a more soothing rumble. The only thing she could compare the sound to was a cat's purr, but deeper with an almost raspy quality to it.

"Now if you'll excuse us, the Doctor has a schedule to keep." The leader's face pinched at Rose's steady tone, but he begrudgingly stepped aside to allow them passage. The Doctor immediately intertwined his fingers with hers, as if he anticipated that they'd tear her away from him if he didn't have physical contact with her. It was as adorable as it was troubling, especially when she caught the repulsed stares the soldiers gave their clasped hands. Thankfully, the soldiers didn't follow, the leader barking out an order that had his men scattering to do their duties. Donna was at her side the second the Leader stalked away, Jack dragging a shaken Micky along behind the trio.

"I knew I'd like you! Welcome to the team!" Donna squealed, tugging Rose in for a side-hug. Jack and Donna smothered her with praise all the way to the courtyard door, Rose letting her gaze slide over to the window. Sweeping over the numerous prisoners; she recognized a few species, others that were new to her, and some completely bizarre. She shot a tongue-touched smile back at the Doctor as Jack unlocked the metal obstruction keeping them in. Sunlight flooding the corridor as soon as the heavy door swung open, Rose practically dragged the Time Lord out into the warm breeze. Turning her face up to the sky to soak in the rays, eyes closed in content.

She blinked when the Time Lord dropped her hand, turning to see why he'd done so. Rose brightened when she saw Donna releasing the cuffs, the harness stayed put though. She figured it was in case he lashed out and needed to be restrained quickly. He had his hand back in hers the second his wrists were unburdened, leading her over to an empty picnic table. Judging by the way the other prisoners avoided said table like the plague, she made the educated guess that the Doctor had probably claimed it as his.

"Most days Donna brings snacks out and we share them, but the warden's been more watchful then usual so we had to cut back to only having goodies twice a week." The Doctor looked a little forlorn as he shared the news, like a puppy who'd been scolded. Rose lit up when she suddenly recalled the chocolate bar she'd stuffed into her jacket pocket before Jack had showed up to bring her to the Doctor, quickly pulling the sugary goodness out with a victorious smile.

"Good thing I come prepared." She broke off a row for each person, blushing shyly at the resounding gratitude she got for sharing her treat. The Doctor paused, chocolate halfway to his mouth, when Rose crumpled up the empty wrapper. She'd already eaten some in the waiting room earlier, so she was perfectly content letting them split the rest. She heard a muffled snap to her right and glanced over to see what the Time Lord was doing, her whole face exploding with heat when he offered her half of his share. 

"Oh, uh..." She thought about declining for a moment, but his eager expression had that idea taking a swan dive out a window. With a soft murmur of thanks, Rose plucked the chocolate from his hand and popped a square into her mouth. It was considerate of him to think of her, proving that he was attentive to others when he wanted to be. Rose chewed thoughtfully, it seemed that she'd made quite the impression on him.

"So Rose, do you live near here?" Micky's timid question snapped her out of her thoughts. Rose's eyes flicked over to him, a smile spreading onto her lips. She was relieved to see him poke out of his introvert shell, she knew all too well how hard it was to break the ice with coworkers. As a bonus, she didn't feel like she had to be careful giving away information to them either, which was a new and addicting sort of trust.

"Yeah, my apartment's just a few blocks away so I take the bus." She shrugged, finishing off the last of her chocolate. Micky nodded, and a discussion about where each of them lived started. Micky shared a house with his grandmother, the two located a good few miles in the opposite direction of Rose. Jack confessed he had multiple houses he stayed at, most of them he used for parties. But he insisted that he actually slept at some of them, the ones stocked with things other then snacks and booze that is.

"I live an hour away, so I have to get up earlier then my husband." Donna complained, Rose's gaze snapping down to the ginger's hand. She smiled at Rose's wide-eyed stare and lifted the appendage so she could get a closer look at the ring, Rose hadn't noticed it before now. The Doctor paid rapt attention to their chatter, occasionally adding a comment about his TARDIS or a random tidbit about a planet he'd visited. All-in-all, it was quite peaceful; and, sure, they got looks from the guards and prisoners with their boisterous laughter...

But Rose couldn't really find it in herself to feel guilty about it.


End file.
